It is interesting how someone who seems to walk into your life by sheer accident can go a long way in influencing or even totally changing how you think and work. Mentors are special people and everybody has one; although most people do not even know they have mentors or are simply too obstinate to admit to it and thank their mentors. Thanks for sharing your story Jon, brought out feelings of nostalgia from my early schooldays.

@Nadine: Yes since without mentors there will be no such big success. You do need some good guidance to help someone to climb the ladder. Not always the path will be clear. When things do get rough you do need some guidance.

"I write this column as my last in a long series for Design News. Time has come for retirement"

Jon, thanks for your inspiring story and all the best wishes for your retirement life. I think in retirement life also you can continue the freelance writing, which can inspired lots of peoples. Tomorrow you can be the mentor for many peoples.

Great subject for an article. I clearly remember my 4th grade teacher who inspired me to push myself academically and develop a thirst for knowledge.
Congrats on your retirement and thanks for all of your contributions over the years!

Thank you for sharing such wonderful insights (as is usual for you) in this, your farewell column. You will be missed! Not only have you blessed me with much electronics knowledge, but your parting words have also served to inspire me. I recently started teaching at the college level and have 30 freshman students entrusted to my care - I have often felt these past months the responsibility that a professor has, for these young men and women are at a pivotal point in their lives and mentors can have a huge impact on the decisions they make. Thank you reaffirming that role - it is what being a teacher is all about. Thank you also for your past articles and for recognizing your mentors and their influence in your life. While such people typically want nothing in return, knowing that they had a small part in your success is heartwarming. God bless you in your new endeavors!

Industrial workplaces are governed by OSHA rules, but this isn’t to say that rules are always followed. While injuries happen on production floors for a variety of reasons, of the top 10 OSHA rules that are most often ignored in industrial settings, two directly involve machine design: lockout/tagout procedures (LO/TO) and machine guarding.

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